In the European country with the most complex - but perhaps most democratic political system - the Swiss question has devolved to a simple issue. Are you for or against the country's most divisive figure, Christoph Blocher? A populist and rightwing demagogue, his party's policies on race have turned a sudden glare of international attention on the country whose politics - usually so gentle - the rest of Europe has usually had little need to notice.

If you are a young Muslim American and head off to the Middle East for a spell in a fundamentalist "madrassa," or religious school, Homeland Security will probably greet you at the airport when you return.  But if you are an American Jew and you join hundreds of teenagers from Europe and Mexico for an eight-week training course run by the Israel Defense Forces, you can post your picture wearing an Israeli army uniform and holding an automatic weapon on MySpace.

A drug worker from Blackburn, hailed for his groundbreaking work within Asian communities across the UK, has been nominated for a top government award. Unsung hero Hasan Sidat has been shortlisted for the Home Office's Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Awards, which honour people who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to get others off drugs. He has worked tirelessly to get accurate drugs advice out to Asian groups in the borough and challenge long-standing myths.

The right wing Israeli opposition party Likud led by Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday warned the government against compromising on the status of Jerusalem in current talks with Palestinian negotiators. Zalman Shoval, head of the foreign affairs department of Likud, said yesterday that the issue of Jerusalem should "not be on the table in any way" at the planned international conference in Annapolis, Maryland later in the year—the basis of which he sharply criticized.

The next life is eternal, yet how hard do we actually strive to achieve the best of the hereafter? Nowhere near our target, we must all agree. Its consequences should strike fear into our hearts. We are MUSLIMS - people who submit themselves to Allah (SWT), people who believe there is none worthy of worship but Allah (SWT), people who believe that Islam is the only perfect and beneficial lifestyle.

Did you know that... 1) 'The pre-charge detention refers to the period of time that an individual can be held and questioned by police, prior to being charged with an offence. For individuals suspected of terrorism, the maximum period is currently 28 days – seven times the pre-charge detention limit for someone suspected of murder.'?  2) The current 28 day limit of detention without trial is already the longest in Europe?

The oldest mosque in the north west threw open its doors to the local community so people could learn more about the Muslim faith and the month of Ramadan. The Golden Mosque on Lower Sheriff Street, Rochdale invited non-Muslims including the Mayor, local councillors, police officers and members from Rochdale FC in their bid to break down barriers and build better community cohesion.

While his aides munched tuna bagels thoughtfully provided by the Israeli military, a shirt-sleeved Tony Blair peered intently at a map showing the two main cargo crossing-points that will function between the West Bank and Israel once the 450-mile separation barrier between them is complete. Why, Mr Blair wanted to know from his host, an Israeli general in civvies, couldn't goods also be moved directly across the border from the nearby Palestinian industrial park that he is pressing Israel to approve?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been warned of a plot to assassinate him during a visit to Iran this week, Kremlin officials have said. The Interfax news agency cited sources in the Russian special services saying a gang of suicide bombers would attempt to kill Mr Putin in Tehran. Iran's foreign ministry dismissed the reports as "completely baseless".A Kremlin spokesman told Reuters there were no plans to cancel the trip to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Lebanon's Prime Minister slams the Zionist regime's decision to confiscate over 103 hectares of Palestinian lands surrounding al-Quds. The current Zionist decision alongside the construction of the Apartheid Wall, are attempts to cut out the West Bank from al-Quds. Such a move reveals that talks regarding regional peace have been hoax," Fouad Seniora said in a statement on Thursday.